Bottle candler



R. O. THOME BOTTLE CANDLER Sept. 19, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 1 Filed Dec. 8, 1948 5 lNVENTO/P e4 mama a mom:

i m-63M A 7'7'0RNE Y Sept. 19, 1950 r R. o. THOME 23,

BOTTLE CANDLER Filed Dec. 8, 1948 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 lNl f N 7' 0/? /PA YMONU 0. THOME would appear and Patented Sept. 19, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,523,164 I a t Y BOTTLE CANDLER Raymond 0. Thome, Hudson, Wis. Application December 8, 1948, Serial No. 64,195

1 Claim. 1 This invention has relation to a machine adapted to be employed to accomplish inspection or candling of bottles containing liquids such as beverages, milk, etc.

An object of the invention is to provide a bottle candler which will be of new and improved construction.

A further object is to provide a machine for use in inspecting or candling the contents of containers, such as bottles and cans, wherein will be incorporated desirable and improved features and characteristics novel both as individual entities of the machine and in combination with each other.

And afurther object is to provide a machine of construction and operative in the manner as hereinafter set forth for inspecting or candling substances in containers.

With the above objects in view, as well as others which will appear as the specification proceeds, the invention comprises the construction, arrangement and combination of parts as now to be fully described and as hereinafter to be specifically claimed, it being understood that the disclosure herein is merely illustrative and intended in no way in a limiting sense, changes in details of construction and arrangement of parts being permissible as long as within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the claim which follows: v i

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, I

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a bottle candling machine made according to the invention Fig. 4 is a plan view of the machine as it from the upper left side of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a plan view of said machine as it would appear from the upper right side of Fig. 1.

A supporting frame of the machine consists of a rectilinear forward frame member l0 and t a rectilinear rearward frame member II the outer, lower ends l2 and I3 of which are adapted to be rested upon a surface, such as provided by a table or floor, and the upper, inner end portions of whiohmeet and are rigidly secured, as at [4, to each other. The relative arrangement and lengths of the forward and rearward frame members I0 and H desirably can be about as in Fig. l of the drawings which discloses said forlar to each other with the forward frame member disposed at sixty degrees, more or less, and the rearward member disposed at thirty degrees, more or less, to a supporting surface for the machine.

A holder ii, for a source of light, such as an electric lamp, adapted to be visible to an inspector situated forwardly of the forward frame member II], is disposed in adjacent relation to a lower portion of said forward frame member rearwardly thereof and forwardly of the rearward frame member I Land bracket elements It and I1, rigid with said forward and rearward frame members, respectively, and with said holder, support the holder upon the machine frame.

The forward frame member In is constituted as spaced apart, parallel, longitudinally extending angle bars l8,*l8, at the opposite sides of said forward frame member, and spaced apart, parallel, transversely extending angle bars, represented I9 and 2D, respectively,the former at the upper end and the latter adjacent the lower end of the forward frame member, secured to said longitudinally extending angle bars I8, I8. One arm of each of the longitudinally extending angle bars l8, I8 is disposed at the exterior side of the forward frame member and the other arm of each longitudinally extending angle bar I8, [8 extends inwardly transversely of the forward frame member and lies ina plane perpendicular to the rearward frame member II. A rearward arm of the upper angle bar I9 is contiguous with the inwardly extending arms of the longitudinally extending angle bars l8, l8, and a forward arm 2I- of said upper angle .bar extends forwardly transversely of said forward frame member and lies in the plane of said rearward frame member. -A rearward arm of the lower angle bar 20 is contiguous with said inwardly extending arms of said longitudinally extending angle bars 18, I8, and a forward arm 22 of said lower angle bar extends forwardly transversely of the forward frame member and lies in a plane parallel with said forward arm 2! of the upper angle bar. v

Th forward arms 2| and 22 of the angle bars l9 and 20, respectively, provide upper and lower bearings, indicated 23 and, respectively, for

'rigid tubes 25 upon the lower portion of each of which a rubber tube 26 is fixedly secured. Together, each rigid tube 25 and the rubber tube 26 thereon constitute a rotatable device or roller for a purpose to be made plain. The forward arm 2| of the angle bar I9 integrally supports upwardly extending annularjfianges' which con- --stitute the upper bearings 23, and upper portions of the rigid tubes extend to position above said annular flanges. The lower end portions of said rigid tubes extend downwardly through a resilient cushion 21, which may be of rubber, fixed on the upper surface of the forward arm 22 of the lower angle bar 20, the lower ends of the rigid tubes rest upon said upper surface of said forward arm, and reduced extensions upon said lower ends of said rigid tubes, in concentric relation to the rubber tubes 26, are rotatably supported in the lower bearings 24 and retained in said lower bearings by heads 28 upon the lower ends of said reduced extensions and contiguous with the lower surface of the forward arm 22.

The rotatable devices or rollers, each consisting of a rigid tube 25 and a rub-ber tube 26, are adapted to be rotated, all in the same direction, through the instrumentality of pulleys, designated 29, 29, 30, 30 and 3|, fixed upon the rigid tubes above the annular flanges constituting the upper bearings 23.

The rearward frame member H is constituted as spaced apart, parallel, longitudinally extending angle bars 32, 32, at the opposite sides of said rearward frame member, and a rectilinear slab 33 between and rigid with said longitudinally extending angle bars 32, 32. One arm of each of the longitudinally extending angle bars 32, 32

is disposed at the exterior side of the rearward frame member and the other arm extends inwardly transversely of the rearward frame member and lies in a plane perpendicular to the forward frame member Ill, and opposite side marginal portions of the rectilinear slab 33. are bolted or riveted, as at 34, to the inwardly extending arms of said longitudinallyextending angle bars 32, 32. 3

An electric motor 35, for causing the rotatable devices or rollers to be, actuated, is adjustably supported, as at 35, on a post 3'! fixed, as at 38, on the rectilinear slab 33 and extending perpendicularly upwardly therefrom. The shaft of said electric motor fixedly supports a small pulley 39 upon which a belt 40 is ridable, and said belt 40 also rides a large pulley 4| fixed on a shaft 42 rotatably supported upon said rectilinear slab 33. The shaft 42 fixedly supports a small pulley 43 upon which a belt 44 is ridable, and said [belt 44 also rides a large pulley 45 fixed on a shaft 46 rotatably supported upon the rectilinear slab. The shaft 46 fixedly supports small pulleys 41 upon which which belts 48, 49 and 50. are rida-ble, the belt 48 also rides the pulleys 29, 251,v the belt 49 also rides the pulleys 30,. 30, and the belt 50 also rides the pulley 3 l.

The construction and arrangement are such that the rotatable devices or rollers, each constituted as a rigid tube 25 and a rubber tube 26, will be rotated in the same direction and at relatively low, uniform speed in response to actuation of the electric motor 35, through the instrumentality of the several shafts, belts and pulleys as illustrated and described.

The forward frame member ll] rigidly supports a shelf, situated at an upper portion of said forward frame member, constituted as a base wall 5!, disposed forwardly of. and in parallel relation to the forward frame member, and side walls 52, 52, extending rearwardly of said base wall and secured, as at 53, 53, in any suitable and convenient'manner, asby welding, or otherwise, against the outer surfaces of the exterior arms of the longitudinal angle bars l8, l8.

A combination bottle guide and light shield,

mounted upon the base wall 51 and side walls 52, -52 of the shelf for adjustably slidable longitudinal movement, is denoted 54.

The bottle guide and light shield 54- includes an interior base wall 55 and interior side walls 56, 56 slida-bly engaged against the base wall 5| and the side walls 52, 52, respectively, of the shelf, and also includes an exterior base wall 51, contiguous with the interior base wall 55, and exterior side walls 58, 58, contiguous with the interior side walls 56, 55. The exterior base wall 51 includes longitudinally extending concavities alined with the spaces between adjacent rotatable devices or rollers, and each of said longitudinally extending concavities is bounded or defined at its bottom by a curvilinear pad 59, of rubber or other suitable material, rigidly secured to the exterior surface of said exterior base wall 51. Guide strips 60, 50, at the opposite sides of the shelf and connected to its side walls 52, 52 and to the longitudinally extending angle bars [8, l 8, engage outer surfaces of" the exterior side walls 58, 58 of the bottle guide'and light shield 54 in such manner as to permit longitudinal adjustment of saidbottle guide a'ndlight shield, and clamps 6|,

adjustably secured, as at 62, to the side walls 5.2, 52 of the shelf and overlapping adjacent edge portions of said ex'terior side' walls 58, 58 of the bottle guide and light shield 54, are for fastening said bottle guide and. light shield at any desired position to which longitudinally adjusted.

A masking sheet '53, secured, as at 64, against the rearward surface of the rearward arm of the lower transverse angle bar 20 and extending upwardly. from said'lower transverse angle bar, has its upper portion cut away, as indicated at 65, at locations in alinement with the curvilinear pads 59 indirection longitudinally of the forward frame member H1.

Bottles to be inspected are rested against the curvilinear pads 59 in inverted position, as in Figs l andz, and allowed to slide downwardly by gravity until they tops of the bottles, or caps thereon,,engage the resilient cushion 21 and the bodies of said bottles rest upon and between adjacent rotatable devices or rollers, so that the bottles will be revolved by said rotatable devices or rollers. The combination bottle guide and light shield 54 is mounted for longitudinal adjustment along its supporting shelf in order that the lower end of said bottle guide and light shield can be contiguous with the adjacent, bottom ends of bottles supported in the machine. Obviously, the entity 54 will be adjusted to be at higher elevation when longer bottles are to be inspected and at lower elevation when shorter bottles are tobe inspected,

The construction and arrangement will be such that the bottle guide and light shield, its supporting shelfand the masking sheet 63. will, in combination with each other and with the rotatable devices or rollers, preclude passage of an acute angle with the horizontal, a bottle supporting shelfconsisting of a bracket mounted at a lower portion of said frame and having a bottle supporting surface at right angles to said frame and a. covering of resilient material mounted on said surface, spaced apart, parallel bottle rotating elements including round bars mounted at a top end of said frame and at a bottom end on said shelf and tubes of resilient material enclosing parts of said bars, a light impervious Wall mounted at an upper portion of and spaced from said supporting frame and disposed forwardly of said bottle rotating ele- 'ments, a combination bottle guide and light shield adjustably mounted on an upper portion of said frame formovement parallel to the axis of said bars and disposed adjacent to and forwardly of said wall, a masking sheet removably mounted on said supporting frame, a, light source mounted. behind said supporting frame, and

means for continuously rotating said bottle rotating elements.

RAYMOND O. THOME.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS- Number Name Date 1,023,925 Court Apr. 23, 1912 1,926,466 TWOhy Sept. 12, 1933 2,236,945 Gibbs Apr. 1, 1941 2,446,377 Marshall Aug. 3, 1948 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date Great Britain Sept. 17, 1937 

